Xianxia drama Feud (临江仙), starring Bai Lu and Joseph Zeng Shunxi, has sparked both buzz and backlash since its premiere — with “ugly” trending on the hot search. Criticisms flew fast: costumes were called oddly styled, chemistry between the leads was questioned. One scene of the two was mocked as “Guanyin hugging Nezha.” Joseph Zeng Shunxi looked handsome as always, but many said he didn’t fit the domineering lord role. Some felt the voice dubbing for Bai Lu was also off as the actress didn’t dub herself this time.
Still, it’s early days. The show started light and comedic, with many speculating that things aren’t as they seem — the naive heroine, hopelessly in love, may have more hidden beneath the surface. After all, this is the couple that’s married and divorced thrice!
Feud Heat Index on iQIYI on the Rise
Meanwhile, producer Yu Zheng has actively defended the show. He attributes much of the negativity around Feud to industry jealousy, claiming that search trends were being maliciously manipulated even before its premiere. He urged fans not to engage with hate comments, insisting the drama’s soaring popularity speaks for itself. Actress Huang Yi also seemed to support the drama, posting on social media: “How is it bad? I think it’s pretty good.”
After Feud surpassed 6,000 heat points on iQIYI within two hours of airing, Yu Zheng boldly wished for the drama to surpass 8,000 on the first night and 10,000 the next day — leading fans to slam the producer for doing more harm than good with such unrealistic targets. Yu Zheng ended up editing his post to adjust the timeline—10,000 within three days..
Despite polarized reviews, Feud is proving resilient. In less than 24 hours — despite coinciding with China’s National College Entrance Exam — it broke 9,000 heat points, becoming iQIYI’s fastest drama to do so in 2025. With summer break approaching and Bai Lu’s strong fanbase, Feud still has a real shot at surpassing 10,000 heat soon.
Source: Lin Jiang Xian Official Weibo
Applefish
I enjoyed the drama so far. Certainly not a standard xianxia. N I don’t understand the criticism against Joseph, his character is a benevolent lord, he can be deadly, but that doesn’t mean he has no feeling. What we saw is a man lost his beloved wife, now having to deal with someone looking like her, showering him with love n admirations (something his wife doesnt do), yet has to be wary of her as he knew his wife is out to kill him. Did ppl miss his twisted expression when he couldn’t trust LQY but cant help but folded with her actions n words?
I’ve never seen Joseph before but I think he acted really well as BJS
Mervin Teo
Not worth the time to watch. Too many overwhelming twist in the story. Complicates so many parts that becomes too melodramanic. At chapter 20, you just want to skip to the end. Shows with too much drama usually get bad ratings. Too much drama and twist becomes, Trash!!! Hey human life does not get that dramatic. Story of Gods, immortals, magic, everything add together with overwhelming twist stories every 2 chapters. That is too much out of tbe world.